Exploring the Building Blocks of Matter: Early Ideas About Matter

The video explores the early concept of matter as proposed by Greek philosopher Democritus, who theorized that matter is composed of small, indivisible particles called atoms. Despite lacking the means to see atoms, Democritus believed they were small, hard particles of the same material but varied in shape and size. He also thought atoms were always in motion and could join together. Although his ideas were insightful, they were largely ignored for over 2000 years.

What did Democritus believe about cutting an object like a coin?

What term did Democritus use to describe the smallest particle of matter?

What does the word 'atom' mean in Greek?

How did people of Democritus's time perceive atoms?

What was the general attitude towards Democritus's ideas about atoms for over 2000 years?